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People are understandably cautious about the economy – and their own wallets – as we head into this year’s holiday season, but “value” does not equate only to “lowest price” for most customers, writes Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy.

Those who protest these limits on executive compensation are pushing back by arguing that top talent at the 7 firms will flee to Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan or hedge funds that have no limit on executive compensation. So what?

Anthony Viceroy, President of Global Operations, Porter Novelli writes, "Upon peering into its crystal ball late last year, the Economist dubbed 2009 "The Year of the CFO" — which sounds like a pretty exciting prospect for a guy like me. But in its article, the magazine went on to posit, “Recession, credit crunch and the increasingly complex nature of global companies will all play directly into the bean counter’s hands......that’s harsh"

Lots of investors get hung up on earnings season -- they simply spend way too much time thinking about what the numbers mean. But here are four reasons why, if you're a typical investor, you might want to re-think an investment strategy based on earnings data.

When the etymology of the word “chutzpah” is recorded, Karen Ignagni, who heads the American Health Insurance Plans industry group, will surely earn an honorable mention. On the eve of the Senate Finance Committee’s vote to reform health care, AHIP released a report claiming that committee’s legislation will raise premiums on the average family by thousands of dollars.

It appears social media applications may be the new addiction, particularly for the younger generation, according to a "Gadgetology" study by Retrevo.com, a consumer electronics shopping site, which polled nearly 800 people. The sample size isn't huge, but the trends are striking:

Now that September retail numbers are behind us, Brian Tunick at J.P. Morgan is looking at October, and beyond. For one thing, he says 45 percent of teenagers say the whole vampire thing is "getting a little played out". Well, sort of. More on that in a moment.

For now, the market really has no idea where it's headed. Are we set to take off, test new lows or stay flat for the foreseeable future? The truth is, people always speculate, but no one knows for sure what's going to happen. And that's why it's a market.

In an effort to address the very real epidemics of smoking and obesity, the Senate Finance Committee approved a well-intention but reckless amendment that would allow employers to hike premiums by as much as 50% on those who engage in so-called unhealthy behavior.

There has been an incredible amount of hype lately about the Dow Jones Index hitting the magic 10,000 level. So, I had to ask myself, does the Dow hitting 10,000 really matter? Well, here are four reasons I don’t think it carries the weight it used to.

Generally, I'm just as patriotic as the next guy. I mean, I even got married on July 4th. But when it comes right down to it, there are six reasons why Americans can be, well, dumb when it comes to investing.

In today’s financial economy, many of us are re-evaluating our financial situations and making increased efforts to spend less and save more. As you make these changes, you may find that there are people and obstacles in your life that keep you from meeting these goals…this is what I call your “Crabs in Your Bucket.” Every time you try to make financial improvements, they reach up and pull you back into the bucket with them.

Interestingly and painfully, the very economy we’ve been suffering through for more than a year is accelerating a third Internet wave and is opening up the media business of the future, writes Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of AOL.